THE GREATEST INVENTION OF THE LAST 50 YEARS: THE INTERNET

Describe the invention  The Internet is a worldwide, publicly accessible network of interconnected computer networks that transmit data by packet switching using the standard Internet Protocol (IP). It is a "network of networks" that consists of millions of smaller domestic, academic, business, and government networks, which together carry various information and services, such as electronic mail, online chat, file transfer, and the interlinked Web pages and other documents of the World Wide Web. (Wiki)

1. Home shopping Home shopping options are many and varied and changing all the time. Most major supermarkets are now on-line, offering home delivery of goods and increasingly, the major high street stores are also competing for on-line trading. The Internet lends itself to shops selling goods which are easily portable, such as CDs and books.

The benefits of home shopping to the customer include  You can avoid long queues, save time and shop from the comfort of your own home.  You do not have to travel into city centres or pay for car parking costs.  You can shop around for the best prices and shop abroad for cheaper goods.  It can offer the customer a wider range of shopping, 24 hours a day all year round.  People who are house-bound have the ability to shop and have goods delivered.

The possible drawbacks of home shopping include  Security worries about payment by credit card over the Internet.  You do not get to see the goods before purchase which may be defective.  You may worry that the the goods will never arrive!  There may be concerns over retailers collecting details about the buying habits of customers.  Security worries about payment by credit card over the Internet.

Benefits to the company include:  It opens the market to customers nationally and internationally.  It enables smaller companies to compete with larger companies.  There may be a possible reduction in staffing and/or shopping outlets, thereby reducing costs.  You can offer 24 hour shopping at minimum cost.  It opens the market to customers nationally and internationally.

2. Home banking Most major banks now offer online banking and some are offering only Internet banking. Without the overheads of running and staffing the high street branches they can offer higher rates of interest to customers.

Services offered include:  You can pay your bills from the comfort of your home or the workplace.  It is possible to transfer money immediately to high interest accounts.  You can check balances and daily transactions on line anytime.  It is possible to set up direct debits and order stationery on line.  You can pay your bills from the comfort of your home or the workplace.

Benefits to the customer include:  All services are from the comfort of your home or workplace, 24 hrs a day, 365 days a year.  Higher interest rates are available to Internet bankers.  It is easy to shop around on line for the best interest rates and switch funds automatically.

Concerns include:  Small branches are closing or having opening hours reduced.  Reductions in staffing at the major banks.  The move towards banking from your PC, digital TV or mobile phone will only increase these concerns.  Some customers have worries about security because of possible credit card fraud.

 Nobody would have an internet job  We wouldn’t have access to an infinite amount of information  We would be living in a totally different world and it would feel a lot smaller  The spread of information would come to a screeching halt (65% of the people get their news online)  Revolutions would take longer; tens of thousands of demonstrators wouldn’t have staged rallies in 900 cities around the world. The world would be different but definitely not better.

1. The Internet and freedom of speech o No-one owns the Internet so anybody can post anything on it. o The Internet is a great source of information but it has also become the home of political propaganda, racism, pornography and other controversial or illegal material. o Apart from physically restricting access the only control is through some form of filtering software. o Increasingly individuals and authorities are recommending some sort of control.

Arguments for control To prevent illegal material being readily available, e.g. political propaganda, racism and pornography. To prevent young children accessing unsuitable material. To make the Web more efficient - at present there is too much useless information. To ensure copyright laws are maintained.

Arguments against control The aim of the Internet is to be a free source of information. Unsuitable material is easily available in other ways. Control would cost money and users would have to pay. Control would be very difficult to enforce.

2. Internet crime New technology brings with it new crimes and as a result some governments are setting up special units to deal with Internet crime. Concerns surround: the interception of credit card details and transactions online. hacking into personal, private files with criminal intent. fraudulent web sites taking credit card details from customers. the spreading of viruses through the Internet.

3. Internet security A number of steps are being taken to reassure the general public that the Internet is safe: D ata is encoded before transmission using encryption techniques which scramble the data. The data is then decoded at the receiving end (decryption). The use of passwords and access level restrictions. The use of firewalls (servers that filter incoming messages to protect LANs from viruses and hacking). Tough penalties for offenders under the Computer Misuse Act.